The New York Islanders have dismissed Piero Greco from his role as goaltending coach after just six games into his seventh season with the team, despite the team’s recent three-game winning streak. General manager Mathieu Darche made the unexpected announcement on Wednesday, revealing that Sergei Naumovs, previously with Bridgeport in the American Hockey League, will take over the position.
Naumovs, a Latvian coach, has been with Bridgeport since May 2024 and has a significant coaching history with the Islanders’ goalie Ilya Sorokin, dating back to their time together at CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018-20. Sorokin currently ranks poorly in the NHL with a 3.90 goals-against average (second worst) and a .873 save percentage (fourth worst) among goalies who have played in at least four games.
Darche acknowledged Greco’s contributions over the past seven years but emphasized the need for a fresh start with the goaltending coaching staff. He clarified that the decision to replace Greco with Naumovs was solely his own and not influenced by Sorokin, who is under contract with the team until 2032.
Darche mentioned that backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov is making progress in his recovery from knee surgery, hinting at a potential return to the ice in the near future.